Masha Nordbye is an award-winning Television/Documentary Producer, Director & Writer, Book author, Photographer, Expedition Leader and Explorer, who has traveled through more than 150 countries on all 7 continents (and the North Pole), and worked on over a hundred documentary and film projects. She also speaks Russian and German.
Ms Nordbye has worked on productions for companies that include the three major networks, National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, PBS, History Channel, A&E, TLC, and other cable venues. For one series, she directed over 35 feature segments through 12 countries for The Travel Channel; and for another, spent 7 months, based in Hong Kong, filming in ten countries throughout Asia as a Producer/Director/ Writer for Discovery Channel, Asia. In addition, Masha is an Expedition Leader for Geographic Expeditions, and her treks have included a six-week journey across all the ‘Stans’ of Central Asia; a two-month journey along Marco Polo’s Silk Route across China and Central Asia; through Siberia and Lake Baikal regions; Outer Mongolia, parts of the Middle East, and sojourns across Tibet, Nepal, India , Myanmar (Burma) and Bhutan. She is also a cultural lecturer on Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, and has been visiting Buddhist regions for many decades. Masha was the Producer/ Director for the 13-part Adventure-Travel television series Pathfinders: Exotic Journeys, sponsored by Nissan, and was one of the first women in history to stand atop the North Pole. Additionally, she had Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, flying on the trapeze in ABC’s Adventures with the Duchess, and covered erupting volcanoes from Hawaii to Mexico & Iceland for The World’s Most Dangerous Volcanoes. Masha is an avid scuba diver, and was the Producer/Writer for the series, Our Ocean World, sponsored by the Save Our Seas Foundation, filmed in over 20 countries. She was also the Producer/Director/Writer for the HD Special, The Blue Revolution, on the state of world’s oceans and marine life. Ms Nordbye has worked on feature films, reality programming, and for many international wildlife organizations, including WWF and WildAid. To view more on the Feature Documentary, The Flight Fantastic (on circus and trapeze), click on the film in the Main Menu. Masha has been flying on the trapeze for more than 25 years.
Masha has also worked for over 25 years throughout the former Soviet Union… filming some 15 Documentaries around the country. Her books on Russia are listed under Books and Magazine Articles in the Main Menu. (Scroll to bottom of page for a further listing of her work throughout Russia.)
2O24
UPCOMING APRIL/MAY: Diving and Underwater filming for three weeks on the Philippine Islands of Bohol and Cebu.
Jan/Feb: On a 2500-mile, 6-week Expedition across the south island of New Zealand, around Tasmania and through southeastern Australia along the Great Ocean Road.
2O23
ON THE PATH OF ANCESTORS
Article posted on September 1, 2023
The adventurous achievements of my 7th great-grandfather in 17th-century Québec, Canada.
WINNER Travelers’ Tales SOLAS Award for Best Travel Writing
TO read: at left on ‘Books & Magazine Articles’
Click on arrow and then select article to read/download.
JOURNEY TO RAJA AMPAT: For a month (January/February), I sailed over 300 miles around the Indonesian area of Raja Ampat, located off the west coast of Irian Jaya, New Guinea in the South Pacific. We visited and filmed at over 50 dive sites, and I logged 35+ hours underwater. It comprises over 1500 islands, and is considered to be the richest and most biodiverse region on the planet, hosting a staggering variety of marine life.
FILM on RAJA AMPAT coming soon!
JOURNEY UP THE WESTERN COAST OF NORWAY: In April/May, I was on a local ferry, journeying from Bergen up the entire coast of western NORWAY (3000 miles roundtrip) to the North Cape (the northernmost point on the European mainland and 1300 miles from the North Pole) and around to Kirkenes, near the Russian border–with Murmansk, Russia less than 100 miles away. The ship visited over 35 towns en route and a bevy of islands and magical fjørds!
2022
The CARIBBEAN –
To read the article on this crazy adventure, click here: The Cauldron of Calamities (posted on June 1) FIRST PRIZE WINNER TRAVELERS’ TALES SOLAS AWARD
I sailed across areas of the Caribbean, while visiting Barbados, St Lucia, Grenada, Grenadines, Curaçao, Bonaire & Aruba…
and then to my horror tested positive for COVID and became a prisoner in my cabin onboard the ship that was sailing around the world!
Adventures through Georgia & Armenia
CLICK on to read: The Creative Haven of the Caucasus
FIRST PRIZE WINNER, TRAVELERS’ TALES SOLAS AWARD
Article posted on 7/1/22
Several months before Russia invaded Ukraine, I spent time traveling through the Caucasus, a vast region that stretches between the Black and Caspian Seas. A venturesome voyage to this far-flung frontier once provided exotic soul-searching escapes, where many Russian writers of the 19th and 20th centuries were forced into exile after strongly voicing criticisms against their own country’s autocratic or imperialistic ideologies. Russia has had a long tumultuous history of invasion; and, for nearly two centuries, the lands of the Caucasus were governed under Russian or Soviet rule. Today, these now independent countries continue to provide a safe and creative haven to those fleeing Putin’s Russia.
GREENLAND: Cruised around the island by ship (June-July), departing from Iceland…and then went on to NORWAY to trace the roots of the Nordbye family back 6 generations to the early 1700’s. Magazine article coming soon.
Center, my great great grandfather, Olaus Erickson was from the town of Nordby, Akershus, southern Norway.
SICILY & CYPRUS Travels in Sicily from Palermo to Catania & the Aolian Islands and across southern & northern Cyprus.
New York Times: Photographing at Santa Barbara Trapeze with Tom Moore and Crew for series It’s Never Too Late
Masha with Tom Moore and the Crew
Masha’s Trick: Legs across to the catcher, swing back and sit up to hands, and return to the bar!
2021
Click on link to read: Travels in Terra Australis
WINNER: Lowell Thomas Award For Excellence In Travel Journalism:
See Books & Magazine Articles in left-hand column to read the full article.
Travel in the Twilight Zone 
Winner! SOLAS GOLD Award for Best Travel Writing
AND…
WINNER OF LONELY PLANET’S TRAVEL WRITING COMPETITION!
2020
ANTARCTICA & Argentina
Feb/March: 4000-mile Expedition across Antarctic waters…from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. As the world was closing down due to COVID, our ship had to race across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia before Argentina closed its borders. I then had to make a grueling attempt to get home to L.A. from Buenos Aires. In Main Menu under Books and Magazine articles, read Travels in Terra Australis!
FILMING IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ, BAJA, MEXICO
October: Filming off Loreto, in Baja Peninsula, Mexico, along the Sea of Cortez aboard the Tangaroa with underwater cinematographers Tom Campbell and Beth Davidow.
CLICK on photo to watch the film!
2019
Film & Photographic Expedition across MOROCCO & MADAGASCAR
CLICK to view: MAGICAL MADAGASCAR→ https://vimeo.com/372224845
A JOURNEY THROUGH MOROCCO→ https://vimeo.com/385744106
5-week Film & Photographic Expedition, traveling over 3,000 miles across 5 African countries:
South Africa, Namibia (across the Namib Desert to Etosha NP), Botswana (Kalahari Bushmen, Chobe NP, Okavango Delta), Zimbabwe and Zambia at Victoria Falls.
To view more photos, click on ‘Photography’ section at left.
FOR VIDEOS, CLICK ON:
1. White Rhino Blues, Zambia
2. Black Rhino, Etosha NP, Namibia
3. Elephant Feeding, Chobe NP, Botswana
4. Kalahari Bushmen Light a Fire
5. Kalahari Bushmen Click Language
6. Kalahari Bushmen Trance Dance
Click on link below: 
March Birthday Trapeze Flying!
2018
AFRICA:
7-week film & photographic expedition, driving nearly 3,000 miles across south-eastern Africa.
*WATCH 3 FILMS BELOW ON THE ADVENTURES!
Kenya:Nairobi, Lake Nakuru, Eldoret, Kericho, Masai Mara.
Uganda: Kampala, Kalinzu National Park, Queen Elizabeth NP, Kisoro, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest–Mountain Gorillas, Lake Bunyonyi, Mbarara, Jinja,Lake Victoria.
Rwanda, including Kigali... and
Ethiopia: Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Lake Tana, Gondar, Debark, Simien Mountains, Yeha near Eritrean border, Aksum, Mekele, Lalibela–and Coptic Church celebrations during Orthodox Easter.
MOUNTAIN GORILLAS OF East Africa (2:14)
Frolicking about the Masai Mara, Kenya
https://www.youtube.com/embed/DvGsjHMrw-A
KENYA, UGANDA & RWANDA (5:53)
ETHIOPIA ኢትዮጵያ
Video: 7:00
SEE MORE PHOTOS OF AFRICA IN MAIN MENU: “PHOTOGRAPHY”
BELIZE & GUATEMALA: Month-long photographic expedition across eastern Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. Locations include: In Mexico: Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Chichen Itza Ruins, Cenotes, Chetumal.
In Belize: Belize City, Caye Caulker, San Ignacio, Santa Elena, ATM Caves, Caracol Mayan Ruins.
In Guatemala: Tikal National Park & Mayan Ruins, Flores/Lake Peten Itza, Rio Dulce, Antigua, Pacaya Volcano, San Jorge La Laguna, Chichicastenango, Panajachel, Sololá, Lake Atitlán and surrounding villages.
Snorkeling & scuba diving from Caye Caulker to Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Shark Ray Alley, the magnificent Blue Hole, along the world’s second largest barrier reef. Das Da Fi Wi Chikin– in Bileez Kriol!
Heading 100 miles west to Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Stone Sepulchre) near the town of San Ignacio. Here one enters the Mayan ceremonial site considered the underworld of Xibalba, and walks and twists for over a mile through the many stalactites/stalagmites with only headlamps to light the way. Eventually the narrow passageways lead to a massive opening filled with 1200-year-old ceramic pots and crystallised skeletons, human sacrifices made to the gods to bring on rains during severe droughts.
The ruins of Belize’s largest Mayan site is Caracol, one of the most powerful cities in the Mayan world. It stretched over 70 miles at its peak (AD 650) with a population of over 150,000. Chaac was the God of Rain & Thunder, and Ixchel the Goddess of Fertility & Birth.
Towering in the tropical rainforest of Guatemala’s Tikal National Park are five Mayan granite temples, the tallest being The Temple of the Great Jaguar, at 154 feet. TIKAL was one of the most powerful capitals of the ancient Mayan kingdom from AD 200-900. More than 1500 years prior to the Spanish Conquest, the Mayan developed a sophisticated hieroglyphic script and calendar & counting system. Near Tikal is the colorful town of Flores.
The original capital of Antigua was destroyed in a 1773 earthquake, but many of the old colonical buildings have been restored. The “Chicken Buses’ are rennovated Yellow School Buses, bought in auction each year in the United States. The Pacaya Volcano is active, and one can have an adventurous hike up the mountainside to the lava flows.
“ChiChi” (Chichicastenango) is the most colorful market in the country.
And a traditional Mayan village is located nearby at San Jorge La Laguna.
Panajachel is located on the beautiful Lake Atitlán. At 50 sq miles and over 1000 feet deep, the Lake is surrounded by three large volcanoes. The surrounding area is dotted by many villages, many of which are populated by Mayans who carry on traditional weaving practices, as in Santiago Atitlán, and San Juan La Laguna, which is also known for its colorful paintings and murals.
CIRCUS!
THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC had a special screening at the Circus Fans of America’s convention in Normal, Illinois (once known as the Trapeze Capital of the US), at the town’s historic Art-Deco theater, followed by a Q&A with Richie & Tito Gaona and Tom Moore & Masha. Hosted by Illinois State University and the Circus Hall of Fame, the University’s Milner Library also exhibited its renowned Circus & Allied Arts Collection. And Gamma Phi Circus performed–the longest-running collegiate circus in the US, started by Clifford ‘Pop’ Horton in 1929!
THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC:
A Story of Legend & Legacy on the Flying Trapeze, Assoc. Producer.
After showing with much fanfare at film festivals and movie theaters around the world, this feature documentary is NOW available to rent or own on VIDEO ON DEMAND (VOD) platforms. (Read more about this Feature Doc from Left Main Menu):
www.theflightfantasticfilm.com
Masha’s new 785-page travel book on Russia.
MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE MAGAZINE: CLASS ACT
“Masha Nordbye has compiled a comprehensive 785-page guidebook to Russia’s most famous cities and the beautiful countryside and ancient towns around them. “
See more information under ‘Books & Magazines’ under Main Menu.
Available on: www.amazon.com CLICK for Book and Author’s Page
2017
NOV: Leader/Lecturer on EXPEDITION ACROSS MYANMAR (Burma) for Geographic Expeditions.
Inner Burma: Including Yangon, Bago, Thanlyin, Golden Rock, Bagan, Irrawaddy River, Mandalay, Helo, Pindaya, Kalaw, Green Hill Valley, and Inle Lake.
MONTH OF DECEMBER IN WESTERN, JAPAN, AND KYOTO & MT KOYA AREAS.
THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC at the SMITHSONIAN CIRCUS ARTS FESTIVAL in Wash. DC
Marking its 50th Anniversary in 2017, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival brings the rich history of American Circus Arts to life in Washington DC. Join the Flying Gaonas, along with Tom Moore & Masha Nordbye, on the trapeze outside at the National Mall and catch a screening of THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC!
Big Top Tent and Trapeze Rig on set up on National Mall for Smithsonian’s Circus Arts Festival
Feb/March:
Travel & Photographic Expeditions in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador and Colombia.
Hiking Quilotoa Volcano at 13,000 feet, with its 3-km wide caldera, the westernmost volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes; with giant Galápagos Tortoise on Santa Cruz Island; marine iquana; sitting on the dock of the bay with a Sea Lion on San Cristóbal, the Galápagos’ easternmost island; riding by motorcycle in Medellín, Colombia; hiking the coffee plantations of Central Colombia; Cartegena, founded in the 16th century, on Colombia’s Caribbean Coast.
The first picture is of ‘Lonesome George,’ the last living member of his species (from the Isle of Pinta), who died on June 24, 2012 at over 100 years old.
SILA: and The GATEKEEPERS OF THE ARCTIC, Associate Producer
This 70-minute award-winning Feature Documentary examines the impact of global warming on a once-thriving Inuit culture now struggling to survive on the world’s northernmost frontier. Exploring two vastly different groups on GREENLAND: Inuit hunters and international polar scientists, both are witness to the rapidly transforming environment due to climate change.
Corina & Masha at the Fine Arts Theater, Beverly Hills, CA for SILA screening.
The North American premiere was at the Montreal Film Festival, and UK premiere debuted at London’s Raindance Festival. Additional screenings and broadcasts were in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Iceland (at the Arctic Council’s 20th anniversary in Reykjavik), Italy, Mexico, Spain and the U.S.–which included screenings in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Big Sky in Montana, and at the prestigious Margaret Mead Film Festival at the Museum of Natural History in New York.
www.gatekeepersofthearctic.com
2016
An article on Masha and her trapeze flying is featured in Anthology Magazine
Read the full story in ‘Articles on Masha’ in the Main Menu
ONE ON ONE WITH MASHA NORDBYE
THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC, Associate Producer
Theatrical Feature Documentary, 92 minutes (See more under Main Menu – The Flight Fantastic Feature Doc)
The Flight Fantastic presents the incredible realm of the Flying Trapeze through one of its most famous families from the golden age of performance in America. It presents myth, legend, and legacy of a magical and fascinating world, with some of the greatest aerial athletes and artists in circus history. (Director Tom Moore, Editor Jonathan Lucas with the Flying Gaona Family)
Shown in U.S. Theaters and at National and International film festivals.
The Flight Fantastic website, click here!
PRAISE FOR THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC
Director Tom Moore & Masha Nordbye
In June, 2016, THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC screened in Los Angeles, California at four Laemmle Theater locations in Beverly Hills, Pasadena, North Hollywood and Santa Monica…and at other theaters throughout the U.S.
PRESS HERE TO PLAY VIDEO: The World Loves THE FLIGHT FANTASTIC!
MISS USA, WME/IMG, Field-Segment Producer
Filmed in Las Vegas, the show was broadcast live around the world from the T-Mobile Arena and MGM-Grande Hotel on FOX-TV on June 5th.
EGYPT, JORDAN and ISRAEL
The Dead Sea
In March/April, Masha was on a 4000-mile expedition through Egypt, Jordan & Israel..The routes: JORDAN: Amman, Mt Nebo, Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum and across the Gulf of Aqaba to the Sinai Peninsula. EGYPT: Nuweiba, Dahab, Sharm el Sheikh, Aswan, Abu Simbel (near the North Sudan border), Felucca down the Nile, Luxor, Hurghada on the Red Sea, Alexandria (and Al Alamein near eastern border of Libya) and Cairo (and Pyramids at Saqquara & Giza). ISRAEL: Tel Aviv, Masada, Dead Sea, West Bank & Palestine (Bethlehem, Jericho), Nazareth, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee & Jordan River and Jerusalem.
2015
MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT(FOX-TV) Aired Live on December 20th
Field Director/Segment Producer & Interviewer. Filming took place in December for 3 weeks in Las Vegas, Nevada. Broadcast live from Planet Hollywood with host Steve Harvey and guest performances by BAND PERRY and SEAL with a televised distribution to more than 100 countries and an audience of half a billion people!
The infamous wrong announcement by host, Steve Harvey, of Miss Colombia as winner!!!
Winner Miss Philippines, Runner-up Columbia www.missuniverse.com
TIBET
Tibetan Everest Base Camp at 17,600 feet
In the Fall of 2015, Masha led the expedition, A Journey Across Tibet, for Geographic Expeditions from Lhasa, Gyantse, Xigatse, Sakya & Shegar in Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal via the North Base Camp of Mount Everest, with an additional trip to New Delhi and Bodh Gaya, India, the place of Buddha’s enlightenment.
THE HIMALAYAN KINGDOM OF BHUTAN
Tiger’s Nest (Taktsang) Buddhist Monastery built on a cliff at 10,240 feet
Masha then led a second journey to the Himalayan Kingdoms of Bhutan and Tibet, with an additional trip to the Sultanate of Brunei in northern Borneo. (Two months in Asia)
MISS USA, Field Director/Segment Producer.
Filming in the Atchafalaya Bayou Basin, Louisiana
Aired on Reelz-TV.
The MISS USA Beauty Pageant has been held annually since 1952. www.missuniverse.com/missusa
OceanGEMS (Girls Explore Marine Science), currently in production, a global educational series to inspire and educate youth on the world’s oceans with leading female scientists and marine biologists. Filming areas include: New Guinea, New Zealand, Mozambique, South Africa, Ecuador, Indonesia, Mexico and Hawaii….
MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT (NBC), Field Producer & Interviewer. Filming took place in January for 4 weeks in Miami, Florida.
Performances by Nick Jonas, Prince Royce and Gavin DeGraw. Broadcast LIVE in the US, with a huge worldwide audience. Winner: Miss Columbia.
2014
EXPEDITION ACROSS ALL OF TIBET, CHINA TO THE FABLED MOUNT KAILASH
On Top the Summit Pass (18,600 ft) of sacred Mt Kailash, Western Tibet Guge Kingdom
July-September: China and Tibet. On a 1000+-mile expedition in China across TIBET to the far western part of the country to climb and circumambulate (to 19,000 feet) the sacred Mt. Kailash (one of the world’s oldest and most sacred pilgrimages) during the Year of the Horse. Month of camping with yak packs! Route included from Lhasa, Tsedang and Samye west to Gyantse, Xigatse, Lhatse, Sakya, Dargyeling, Paryang, Lake Manasarovar, Darchen, Mt Kailash, and on to the far western ancient GUGE Kingdom. Also traveled along the Himalaya range near the northern borders of Bhutan, Nepal and India. (Mt Kailash is the Mecca for over one billion Buddhists, Jains, Böns and Hindus.)
INDONESIA
In the early spring, Masha filmed for a month in INDONESIA, underwater, from Bali to the Komodo Islands with Giant Manta Ray expert, Dr. Andrea Marshall, for scientific and television projects, aboard the Seven Seas, a refitted Indonesian Bugis Pirate ship! She logged more than 50 hours underwater and encountered the Komodo Dragons!
2013
MISS UNIVERSE LIVE IN MOSCOW (NBC), Field Producer.
Filming for 6 weeks in Oct/Nov in Moscow, Russia. Performances by Steven Tyler, Emin, and Panic at the Disco.
YES! Да This is the infamous pageant of Donald Trump in Moscow, and the 2016 secret meeting in Wash DC between Jared Kushner and Russian connections put together by the Agalarev family, who financially sponsored the Moscow Pageant.
OUTER MONGOLIA & EASTERN SIBERIA
During the summer, Masha led several expeditions (with Geographic Expeditions) across Outer Mongolia and Eastern Siberia and the Lake Baikal region–over 4,000 miles from Buddhist Buryatia in Siberia to the Gobi Desert on the Chinese border.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: DIE TRYING: CRATOR OF FIRE
Masha helped produce several shows for a National Geographic Television 
international adventure series in New Guinea and Turkmenistan.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/die-trying/videos/flying-over-fire
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/die-trying/videos/at-the-gates-of-hell
In 2012-2013, MASHA was the SERIES Producer/Director and Writer for the HD Documentary special, The Blue Revolution (filmed in over 15 countries), on the state of our world’s oceans and marine life, and what numerous countries, foundations and individuals are doing to create a new ocean ethic. Other educational materials and Childrens’ books were also produced to go along with the series. (See Documentary section under Main Menu)
2012
For the month of October, Masha was filming some of the world’s most venomous sea creatures in Northern Australia (Great Barrier Reef) and Papua, New Guinea for a variety of television specials. She spent nearly 60 hours underwater! *See a short film under Trapeze/Scuba in Main Menu.
In the summer, Masha led several expeditions for Geographic Expeditions across China, Mongolia and Siberia….
Masha was also the Production Leader in Oman and Dubai in the Middle East with New York’s (ABT) American Ballet Theatre.
Other projects had her on assignment in French, Polynesia: Tahiti/Moorea/Raiatea/Bora Bora & the Society Islands.
Diving in Mexico’s fresh-water cenotes
And filming off the coast of Mexico–diving included within fresh-water Cenote/cave systems and the Reef Art Sculptures of The Silent Evolution for a PBS special, Mexico: The Royal Tour, hosted by the President, Felipe Calderon.
2011
Masha was on assignment throughout Indonesia to film the world’s MOST venomous sea creatures, including the lion, stone, devil, wasp and scorpion fish–sea snakes, cone shells, and one of the planet’s most poisonous animals–the blue-ringed octopus. Locations included dive expeditions to Sulawesi in northeastern Indonesia— at Buyat Bay, the Banga Islands, and the remote Lembeh Strait. Additional areas from Sumatra to Singapore.
Other assignments took her to Germany, Austria, Albania, Prague and St Petersburg, Russia.
In Paris, Masha filmed at the famed Cirque d’hiver (the Winter Circus) for the 150th anniversary celebration of Jules Léotard, the inventor of the trapeze, for a documentary on the Flying Trapeze. (She’s an avid trapeze flyer herself.)
Masha was also on the production team for many years as Producer/Director/Writer for the award-winning HD series on:
Our Ocean World
Diving in New Guinea- see short film under Trapeze/Scuba in Main Menu
Sponsored by the Save Our Seas Foundation. Marine life has been documented in over 20 countries, with shows filmed in South Africa (White sharks); England/Scotland (basking sharks); Cocos Island, Costa Rica (Hammerheads); the Revillagigedo Archipelago & Sea of Cortez, Mexico (Manta rays, Blue whales & Whale sharks); Bahamas (Reef sharks); Hawaii (Manta rays); Truk Lagoon, South Pacific (wrecks); Tonga, Micronesia (Humpback Whales)’; Okinawa, Japan (Underwater monuments); United Arab Emirates (Dugongs); Florida (Manatees); the Channel Islands, CA; and Alaska (Salmon sharks). The organization is also producing a series of Childrens’ Adventure Books about the oceans and marine life. (See Books and Documentaries under Main Menu).
Performing with the Russian Circus
WORK THROUGHOUT THE FORMER SOVIET UNION
Masha has been traveling to Russia for over 25 years with over a hundred trips that have taken her across all of Russia (and its former republics) from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, and the Baltics to all the Stans….
Ms Nordbye has also helped Produce/Direct numerous TV specials and documentaries that were filmed throughout the former Soviet Union that include the National Geographic Specials, Voices of Leningrad and the Emmy award-winning Inside the Russian Circus; the ABC Special, Powers of the Russian Psychics; The Discovery Channel’s Baskhaus: Hard Labor in Siberia (on rafting across southern Siberia/winner “Best Film” Telluride Mountain Film Festival); The First Course, on the 20 years it took to build Russia’s first golf course by designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr; PBS’s The Making of the Moscow Circus and Verkola: A Village in Northern Russia;; and 20th Century Fox’s feature film, Back in the USSR, starring Roman Polanski & Natalya Negoda. Additional shows include on Cosmonauts, MIG fighter jets, Siberian tigers, Lake Baikal region and Kamchatka. As a journalist, she covered the first Expeditsiya car race along the first roads connecting all of Russia, traveling 15,000 kilometers in the dead of winter from Murmansk, south across the Volga regions and eastwards across all of Siberia to Vladivostok.
In addition, Masha is the author/photographer of five published books on Russia and a multitude of magazine articles. She is the recipient of multiple Lowell Thomas and Travelers’ Tales SOLAS Awards for ‘Excellence in Travel Journalism.’ Her latest travel book is on Russia (785 pages), Moscow, St Petersburg & The Golden Ring. (See Books and Magazine Articles under the Main Menu).
Ms Nordbye has also worked as a camera/sound person for ABC Network in Washington, D.C. (including the White House), Paris, Moscow, and Los Angeles. Languages: Russian, German; some French/Norwegian.
She has participated with many environmental, endangered species and humanitarian projects throughout the world –from Los Angeles to Moscow and Kathmandu to Kenya.
Helping to drill a water well in the Maasai Mara in Kenya
Masha working on humanitarian projects with Paul Newman
 |  |  |
| Boris Yeltsin, Moscow | At Star City, Russian Space Center |